Chapter 443: Strange Ambush

Initially, the rock sheep were wary, but after eating a lot of Gan Hong grass, they lost their suspicion. They didn't even run away when they saw the two figures, instead following the grass step by step up the slope.

The top of the slope was a cliff, ten zhang above the ground.

The two men sprinkled Gan Hong grass all the way to this spot, and the rock sheep followed, climbing higher and higher.

One man stood to the side, holding out grass to guide it to the edge of the cliff, while the other circled behind it and gave a sudden push!

The rock sheep fell off the cliff.

"This was the easiest one yet," the man said, wiping sweat from his forehead. "Sheep and deer are the stupidest and easiest to catch."

However, when he leaned over to look down, he was stunned:

The rock sheep had not fallen to the bottom of the cliff. Instead, it stood on a small, pointed rock about one zhang below. This protruding rock was only about the size of a pomelo, yet the sheep stood perfectly still, even steadier than they were on flat ground.

It was still leisurely chewing Gan Hong grass.

"What now?" his companion also stood bewildered. "What should we do?"

The sheep was stuck in an awkward spot, neither high nor low, and they certainly couldn't get down to it.

The first man thought for a moment, then untied a coil of rope. "Rope it and drag it out!"

The two men tied a knot in the rope, just as they were about to cast it, when a voice suddenly called out from behind them:

"What are you doing?"

To have someone suddenly speak from behind while doing something illicit in the wilderness was a genuine shock.

Their immediate reaction was to draw their weapons with a whoosh and quickly turn around.

They saw a small girl on the cliff, no older than six or seven, with a very pale face and large eyes.

"Is this a demon too?"

"She's human!" the man said, forcing a smile. "Little girl, where are you from?"

The girl turned and pointed towards the small town.

"Go back quickly, this isn't a place for you."

The girl shook her head. "I can't go back."

"Why not?"

"I'm hungry!" As she uttered the word, she opened her mouth, revealing two sharp, pointed fangs. "I can't stay in the town!"

The town was full of sleeping people, exuding the scent of food, but she couldn't touch any of them, or she would cause trouble for her young master.

"Why are you wasting words on her!" his companion exclaimed, keeping an eye on the rock sheep below. The effect of the Gan Hong grass was limited; the higher the sheep demon's cultivation, the faster its mind would recover, leading to greater trouble for them. "Push her down, quickly!"

This spot was too close to the town, which could easily attract unnecessary trouble.

As soon as she heard the words "push her down," the girl suddenly let out a piercing scream.

In the quiet of the deep night, her scream was an amplified, brain-piercing shriek that made the two men's scalps tingle.

The sharp, loud scream echoed above the valley, startling all the night birds nearby from their peaceful slumber, creating a chaotic cacophony of chirps and squawks.

This was bad, very bad.

The two men instinctively reached out to grab her, but just as their hands were about to connect, the little girl vanished from the spot.

"A ghost?"

No sooner had the thought crossed their minds than a small figure appeared on the back of one of the men's shoulders.

The little girl had somehow climbed onto his back.

The man grabbed her hair, trying to pull her off. But to his horror, she opened her mouth and bit directly into his carotid artery!

Gurgling, he could actually hear the sound of his own blood flowing through his veins.

Blood was forcibly drawn from his limbs and organs, rushing through the ruptured artery, vying to be sucked into her mouth.

This little girl was clearly a demon, a full-fledged demon!

Most terrifying of all, as she sucked his blood, her fangs also injected a cold, malevolent energy into his body, making him feel as though he had fallen into an ice cellar, unable even to lift his hands!

Seeing him about to be drained dry, his companion was horrified and swung his knife, intending to chop off the girl's head.

No matter what kind of demon it was, surely it couldn't cause any more trouble without its head?

Just then, the wind rustled behind him, and a tremendous force struck him in the small of his back, sending him flying more than one zhang away!

As he flew head over heels, he caught sight of the rock sheep.

The sheep came up?

Had the Gan Hong grass worn off already?

He should be grateful that the rock sheep's horns didn't grow straight forward like those of a normal goat, or he would have had two bloody holes in his waist by now.

Still, he was in immense pain; even a slight movement sent agonizing throbs through his spine.

A ram's horn strike from this rock sheep could crack solid rock and send tigers or leopards flying; rendering a person semi-paralyzed would be nothing for it.

The man managed to stand, his back aching so severely that he nearly lost consciousness.

He looked at his companion, who had been a sturdy man, now shriveled like an empty rice sack, with only his eyes bulging out. The little girl was still clamped onto him, her eyes now blood red.

Damn it, now there were two demons against him, making it a 2-on-1 situation.

Just then, another voice sounded from the slope. "What's going on?"

The man turned to look and gasped; two more uninvited guests had arrived.

One of them extended a hand to the girl. "Taozi, come here."

The little girl immediately dropped the man she was holding and darted back, hiding behind him, looking utterly startled.

The man cursed silently, wondering who the hell was actually startled here!

The newcomers were, of course, Fu Shanyue and He Lingchuan.

They had heard the scream and rushed over immediately. Both were skilled in movement techniques, and since the low slope was only about two hundred zhang from the town, they arrived in quick succession.

Taozi went straight to the point. "Young Master, this man tried to steal the sheep!"

He Lingchuan narrowed his eyes.

The man quickly said, "We didn't know this sheep had an owner, apologies. We just wanted to hunt a wild sheep for meat!"

Taozi pointed at the cliff. "They tried to push me down!"

Fu Shanyue cracked his knuckles twice. "Are you going to jump down yourself, or do you want us to help you?"

One against four, could he even fight? The man's face turned bitter as he slowly walked to the edge of the cliff.

Everyone expected him to struggle a bit more, but to their surprise, he pushed off with his legs and jumped down without hesitation!

"Huh?" He Lingchuan darted to the cliff edge and looked down. "So decisive?"

It was the first time he had seen someone so decisively jump off a cliff when forced, far more resolute than he would be himself.

Although the rain had stopped, the moon was still hidden behind thick clouds, leaving the surroundings devoid of light, especially below the cliff where it was completely dark.

However, with He Lingchuan's keen eyesight, he still saw something flash in the darkness after the man fell.

Fu Shanyue also came over and was about to jump down.

He Lingchuan grabbed his collar and pulled him back, uttering just two words: "Trap!"

He himself wasn't idle; he drew his Fusheng Blade and hurled it into the darkness where the sheep thief had disappeared.

A miserable scream immediately rose from below.

The Fusheng Blade never missed its target, though it was unclear where the sheep thief had been hit.

But at the same time, He Lingchuan heard a dull thud, as if the blade had struck something else, something very hard and blunt, not metallic.

The sheep thief had jumped down, but there was no sound of him hitting the ground.

Instead, something seemed to move in the darkness.

"There's something down there," He Lingchuan immediately said. "Someone's waiting for him."

No wonder the sheep thief jumped so decisively.

"Chase them!" Fu Shanyue said without a second thought, sliding down a mountain crevice.

He Lingchuan was accustomed to Fu Shanyue's relentless pursuit, so he simply jumped onto the sheep's back and then vaulted down the cliff from the other side.

He and Fu Shanyue formed a pincer movement, leaving the enemy no choice but to escape directly northward.

The terrain to the north was flat, making pursuit easier.

Taozi lay on the edge of the cliff, watching with wide eyes.

No one or no demon emerged from below.

The two descended the cliff with extreme speed, almost as fast as jumping directly, reaching the bottom in an instant.

He Lingchuan pulled out a handful of glowing grass from his storage ring and tossed it forward.

A soft light immediately illuminated the bottom of the cliff.

It was empty. There was nothing but a few bare boulders with grass growing in their crevices.

The two exchanged glances, both feeling that something was wrong.

Where was the sheep thief who had fallen?

Where was the person who was supposed to meet him below?

Where was the trap?

Why was there no trace of anything?

Fu Shanyue stepped forward and pressed down on the large boulders a few times to ensure it wasn't an illusion.

Although he possessed elemental power, which should have made him immune to illusions, checking himself was safer. After all, the world was vast and full of countless possibilities.

"Nothing."

"There was a massive object down here just now," He Lingchuan stated with certainty. "Either a living creature or a vehicle."

"They must have used an escape art," Fu Shanyue hissed. "It's rare to find someone who still masters earth evasion arts these days." With that, he took out his purple-gold hammer and slammed it against the ground twice.

This artifact was specifically for breaking illusions.

The ground trembled, but no anomaly was revealed.

Fu Shanyue looked up and asked the little girl on the cliff, "Taozi, did you see anything?"

Taozi shook her head. "No!"

She stood high up, scanning the surroundings to look for any moving objects nearby.

"Earth evasion arts can only take you a few zhang, so they couldn't have gone far," Fu Shanyue said, as he had used this divine ability himself and was certainly knowledgeable. "They must have also used an illusion."

"They fled quickly," He Lingchuan observed the boulders at the bottom of the cliff. "But the grass in the crevices has been flattened."

So his earlier observation was correct; whatever it was, it was quite large.

Fu Shanyue sniffed, then pointed. "Bloodstains."

Grass blades were splattered with fresh blood.

Judging by the amount of blood, the sheep thief's injuries were quite severe.

He Lingchuan picked up a twig and used it to poke something on the ground. "Hey, what's this?"

It was transparent, sticky, and could be stretched...

"Looks like snot," Fu Shanyue said, also showing disgust. "Or like some kind of slime left behind by something."

He Lingchuan carefully placed the twig with the sticky substance and the blood-splattered grass blades into his storage ring.

The two men climbed back up the cliff to examine the body of the other sheep thief.

Indeed, the unfortunate man had already been drained dry by Taozi and showed no signs of life.

Fu Shanyue examined the wound on his neck and asked in surprise, "Taozi, how long did you suck?"

"From when I started screaming until you arrived, Young Master," Taozi mumbled, fearing his reprimand. "I don't know why, but I was so hungry!"

But that was less than fifteen breaths! Could a newly born Earth Fiend Child really drain a full-grown man?

He Lingchuan whispered, "Do Earth Fiend Children also suck blood?"

"They do, but not usually this violently," Fu Shanyue said, picking up Taozi and examining her eyes and teeth, even taking her pulse.

His expression was strange, a mix of surprise and triumph.

"Young Master, am I not well?"